I had a very personal struggle when writing this. I felt obligated to to discuss and honor the man who inspired me as a performer and content creator. However, I didn't want use his untimely passing as a means for my own personal success. I hate those kinds of people who make click bait exploiting peoples lives for their own personal gain.
So, I decided that I would only write this if I did it a week or so after his passing and if in the off chance this column gets major traction, I would donate every single fund I get from this to an Alzheimer's charity. This is purely for Mr. Gene Wilder and showing him the proper respect he deserves.
With all that justification out of the way, let's talk about Wilder's brilliant performance as the iconic Willy Wonka. I can't stress enough to all those aspiring young actors in the world today, to study this performance. Wilder disappears into the role, he is Willy Wonka. Even though Johnny Depp's performance was terrible, but he was already in a tough spot trying to take on a role claimed so expertly many years before.
The reason this performance works is because you never truly know what angle Wonka is coming from. That is such a hard feat for any actor to pull off. If an actor can pull of duality, they can pull of anything. One quick re-write and Willy Wonka would be a Bond villain. He takes on the role of the wise old sage in a very inventive way.
He also goes from child-like wonderment to chilling within the blink of an eye. He sings "Pure Imagination" and we are filled with unexplainable joy. Next moment he is making us shit our pants during that tunnel scene. That tunnel scene and the scene where he grabs Veruca Salt by the face and utters the line, "We are the magic makers and we are the dreamers of dreams" are two of the greatest cinematic moments in film history.
Gene Wilder cemented the foundation for mystic wise men and how to do it properly. We would not have Sir Michael Gambon's and Sir Richard Harris's Albus Dumbledore or Sir Ian McKellan's Gandalf without Gene Wilder murdering some kids in a chocolate factory. He made the mold and he broke it all in one performance.
So, to Mr. Gene Wilder for giving the world gems like this, Blazing Sadles, and all those brilliant Richard Pryor movies, thank you. I hope you Rest In Peace and are enjoying that world of Pure Imagination up in the sky.
"Don't forget what happened to the man who got everything he ever wanted. He lived happily ever after."